A 26-year-old Fontana woman was sentenced Wednesday to 30-years-to-life in prison for a wrong-way crash on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar in 2014 that left six dead, including her sister and three generations of family members in another vehicle.

Olivia Carolee Culbreath earlier this year pleaded no contest to six counts of second-degree murder. It was an open plea to the court, leaving the sentence to a Los Angeles Superior Court judge’s discretion, rather than a negotiated plea deal.

Attorney Daniel Perlaman listens to Olivia Culbreath, who pleaded not guilty during an arrangement at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, February 25, 2015. Culbreath, a resident of Fontana, is accused of driving the wrong way on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar in February 2014 and causing a crash that resulted in the death of six people. Culbreath will be back in court for a hearing on March 10, 2015. (File photo by Walt Mancini, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Kelly Sheahen Gerner and Daniel Perlman, attorneys for Olivia Culbreath, talk to their client, who pleaded not guilty during an arrangement at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015. Culbreath, a resident of Fontana, is accused of driving the wrong way on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar in February 2014, causing a wrong way crash that resulted in the death of six people. (File photo by Walt Mancini, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Officials investigate the scene of a three-car, wrong-way accident where 6 people were killed on the westbound 60 Freeway near Philips Ranch Road in Diamond Bar on Sunday morning, Feb. 9, 2014. The driver of the red Chevy Camero was heading the wrong way when it collided head-on with a Ford Explorer. (File photo by Watchara Phomicinda, San Gabriel Valley Tribune/SCNG)

Officials investigate the scene of a three-car, wrong-way accident where 6 people were killed on the westbound 60 Freeway near Philips Ranch Road in Diamond Bar on Sunday morning, Feb. 9, 2014. The driver of the red Chevy Camero was heading the wrong way when it collided head-on with a Ford Explorer. (File photo by Watchara Phomicinda, San Gabriel Valley Tribune/SCNG)

CHP investigators examine the scene of a fatal traffic collision, where six people were killed, involving a wrong way driver on the westbound 60 freeway in Diamond Bar Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014.
(File photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

After drinking at a Fullerton bar, Culbreath, in the early morning hours of Feb. 9, 2014, drove her Chevrolet Camaro against traffic on the 57 and 60 freeways in Diamond Bar, reaching speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, according to investigators.

In the Camaro, Culbreath was injured, while two passengers — her sister Maya Culbreath, 24, of Rialto and Kristin Young, 21, of Chino — were also killed.

Three hours after the crash, Culbreath was found to have a blood-alcohol content of .15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit.

Culbreath had been convicted of driving under the influence in 2010, and therefore formally warned by the court about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. That earlier admonishment allowed prosecutors to charge her with murder for the Diamond Bar crash.

Culbreath’s attorney, Robert Sheahen, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. But at the time of her plea, Sheahen said Culbreath believed it was “important to spare her family, and the family of the victims, the trauma of a trial.”

Sheahen previously denied that Culbreath was a “wanton party girl,” instead describing her as a responsible woman who made some terrible choices.

Culbreath had given birth 11 days before the fatal crash, her attorney previously said, and had spent time at her home as a single mother suffering from postpartum depression.

“It was the aftermath of a very difficult childbirth, and she’s extremely remorseful,” Sheahen said.

According to KTLA/Channel 5, Culbreath during the sentencing hearing apologized through tears for her actions, saying she asks God for forgiveness every single day.

“I’m going to punish myself for the rest of my life,” Culbreath said, according to KTLA5. “I was so wrong, and I take full responsibility.”

Culbreath’s driver’s license, which had been suspended following the 2010 DUI conviction, had been reinstated in December 2011, just a week before the deadly crash.

As a result of her injuries sustained in the crash, Culbreath was brought to an early court appearance on a stretcher, and has showed up to later hearings in a wheelchair.

Her no contest plea had the same immediate effect of a guilty plea in connection to the criminal charges, but it allowed Culbreath to avoid admitting guilt for a related civil lawsuit.

Sean Emery is a crime and public safety reporter for the Register who covers state and federal courts and criminal justice issues. He has worked for the Register since 2006, previously covering breaking news, the city of Irvine, the Orange County Great Park, and the city of San Juan Capistrano.

Beatriz E. Valenzuela is an award-winning journalist who’s covered breaking news in Southern California since 2006 and has been on the front lines of several national and international news events. She’s worked for media outlets serving Southern California readers covering education, local government, entertainment and all things nerd including comic book culture and video games. She’s an amateur obstacle course racer, constant fact-checker, mother of three and lover of all things adorable.